News

GSN MONDAY MAILER OCTOBER 07 2013

1. EXPERT WITNESS NEEDED FOR ASYLUM CASE ON GANAG VIOLENCE AND RETRIBUTION
2. Translation of GSN’ER Ginny Garrard-Burnett’s “Terror in the Holy Land” Available now from AVANCSO
3. NEW ARTICLE FROM GSN’ER MICHAEL DOUGHERTY ON GOLD MINING IN GUATEMALA AND CANDIAN TIES
4. Princeton Visiting LAS Fellowships for 2014 (Deadline in one week!)

I am writing on behalf of an immigration law firm in Seattle, WA. We are representing an asylum seeker from Guatemala who is in removal proceedings. He fears returning to Guatemala because he feels that he will become the victim of popular/vigilante justice in his hometown (please see attached declaration for details).

We are seeking an expert who, at the least, could review our client’s asylum declaration and check for plausibility. If interested, we are also seeking an expert who could provide an affidavit and telephonically testify in court in support of our client’s asylum claim. Would this be something you could assist with, or if not, refer to a reputable person who could? If interested, what is your fee?

I fear returning to Guatemala because I will not be afforded protection from violence and/or murder. In my hometown, there are individuals who wish to take my life and the Guatemalan authorities cannot and will not protect me from threats of death.

1. I grew up in the town of Nueva Concepcion, in the state of Escuintla, Guatemala. I lived with my parents, , and my sister. Nueva Concepcion is a small community and growing up everyone knew each other by first name. Life in Nueva Concepcion was difficult and required constant hard work.

2. In the 1980s the peace and tranquility of Nueva Concepcion began to change. The civil war in Guatemala did not spare Nueva Concepcion, and violence was around every corner. The armed forces, paramilitaries, and the guerillas all vied for the hearts and minds of our town. I myself was a witness to many violent and horrific events, including the mass shooting of youth by government forces. To this day, I can still see and hear these events as if they occurred yesterday.

3. Due in part to the unfathomable violence that was gripping Nueva Concepcion, in 1989 I decided to seek residence in the United States. I was at a high risk of being recruited by both the Guatemalan military and the guerillas. I did not want to involve myself in the bloodshed and I therefore chose to start a new life in the United States. The thought of moving to the United States gave me the hope and will to make it through this dark period in Guatemalan history.

4. I arrived in the United States in 1989 and settled in. I worked odd jobs in California for five years. In 1994 I moved to the area, where I met my wife. We have one son together, who is the love of my life.

5. In 2003, I learned that my father had been murdered in Guatemala. He had been robbed, shot, and left for dead by several local youth. Apparently, this gang of kids—some as young as 14 years old—had been robbing and terrorizing Nueva Concepcion for months. Because I sent money to my father in Guatemala, these kids branded him as a target. No doubt, they saw that my father had extra money and wanted it for themselves. My father’s house was ransacked and all his possessions were either stolen or destroyed. He was left in a pool of blood.

6. Upon learning of my father’s murder, I immediately made plans to travel to Guatemala for his funeral. When I arrived in Nueva Concepcion, not much had changed and people still knew my face.

7. During the time that I was in Nueva Concepcion, a horribly coincidental incident occurred, which I did not learn of until I was back in the U.S. Several youth—I do not know the exact number—had been found murdered, shot execution style, near Nueva Concepcion. They were lined up against a wall and gunned down with an assault rifle. The departed were the same youth accused of robbing and murdering my father weeks prior.

8. I did not hear about this incident and I left Guatemala and returned to the United States. Upon my return, I began to hear unsettling developments from my Guatemalan friends in the U.S. They had heard from people they knew in Guatemala that there was a price on my head. My friends were concerned about my safety should I decide to visit Guatemala again. The families of the departed youth thought that I executed their children, my friends told me. There are not many visitors to Nueva Concepcion. Because I was the outsider, the one who didn’t belong, I believe that I was seen as suspicious. These families saw my presence in relation to the murders of their children. In their eyes, I came back to Guatemala to avenge my father’s murder. Now, they are seeking to avenge the murder of their children – with my blood.

9. The word around Nueva Concepcion is that if I ever show my face, I will be dealt with swiftly. These families have a price on my head, and if they hear that I even returned to Guatemala, they will seek me out and kill me. I fear that I will be abducted, tortured, and killed. Guatemala is a small country, and travel between most of the cities is easy. News travels fast. Even if I were to move to the capital, these families would find me and kill me.

10. Although many years have passed since these youth were executed, I know that the vendetta against me is still very real. People in Nueva Concepcion do not forget the events of the past, and I know that the relatives of the departed youth still yearn to enact vengeance. The families are still suffering from the loss of their children, and no amount of years can change the fact that they want me dead.

11. I fear returning to Guatemala because I will not be afforded protection from these threats. The Guatemalan authorities are stretched very thin, and have little resources to provide protection for everyday civilians. I do not have much hard evidence to prove the danger against me. Without this evidence, the Guatemalan authorities will not even investigate these threats against my life. Even if I wanted to report my concerns to the authorities, I do not know the names of the families who wish to cause me harm. I could not offer enough information to warrant an investigation. In addition, due to the decade that has passed since this incident, the Guatemalan authorities are unlikely warrant my case much attention. If I return to Guatemala, I am the only protection I have against these threats, as I no longer have family or friends there that would protect me.

12. I do not want to return to Guatemala. In the United States I have been afforded the ability to go to work every day, to send my child to the best school, and to participate in society without the fear of violence. The poverty in Guatemala is consuming: there is no work, and there is little safety. I know that if I returned to Guatemala that I would constantly have to watch my back for fear of murder. I would have to use a fake name, and have to remain unknown to all who knew me in the past. If I returned to Guatemala, I would be forced to remain in the shadows, away from the ones who I love. In Guatemala, I would not be able to live at all.

13. For the reasons stated above, I respectfully request that you grant my request for Asylum, Withholding of Removal, and Protection under the Convention against Torture.
2. Translation of GSN’ER Ginny Garrard-Burnett’s “Terror in the Holy Land” Available now from AVANCSO

This article analyses structural transformations in the global gold mining industry, namely the growth in numbers of junior companies, to advance our understanding of the relationship between industry structure and the upsurge in mining conflicts across the developing world.

I hope you find this article useful. It's not strictly about Guatemala, although it draws from my fieldwork there. If your institutions do not provide access to this journal, please send me a private email.

The Program in Latin American Studies is launching an open call for applications for the 2014-2015 visiting fellowships. We are looking for top scholars in their field who have teaching experience and will provide Princeton students with a unique opportunity to study topics that are not regularly offered at Princeton. Applications will be accepted from outstanding scholars in the humanities and social sciences, as well as from established writers, artists, filmmakers, or architects working on projects relating to Latin America who are stellar teachers.

Fellows will be appointed for either one or two semesters during the academic year, 2014-2015 (fall semester: September 1, 2014-January 31, 2015; spring semester: February 1-June 30, 2015). The Office of the Dean of the Faculty determines salary on the basis of current academic rank and award duration; appointment rank at Princeton is determined on the basis of seniority and current institutional affiliation.

How to Apply
For full consideration, all the materials listed below must be received by Deadline: October 15, 2013, 12 am EST. All candidates must use the online application process to submit materials and apply online at: http://jobs.princeton.edu.

1) A cover letter indicating the applicant’s proposed length of stay (1-2 semesters), title of the proposed research project, and teaching interests;
2) A curriculum vitae;
3) One undergraduate and/or graduate seminar proposal (or syllabus) for each proposed semester of the fellowship, including a statement of how this course(s) would enhance undergraduate or graduate education at Princeton;
4) A four-five page statement describing the research project and its scholarly contribution;
5) The names of three (3) referees (the Program will contact them, if needed, at a later date).

Fellows will be required to teach one undergraduate or graduate course per semester, conditional upon sufficient enrollments and approval of a Princeton department and the Dean of the Faculty; and participate in PLAS-related events on campus.

Required Qualifications: Ph.D. or equivalent.

Princeton University is an equal opportunity employer and
complies with applicable EEO and affirmative action regulations

Princeton University
Program in Latin American Studies
309-316 Burr Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544

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